Yesterday I explained what it means to actually pray for your enemies. So, I found it only fitting to discuss, today, what praying for your enemies is NOT. If you think praying for your enemies means "desiring wonderful things happen to them or blessings be poured out in their life," then you've misunderstood.
When you read the phrase "Love your enemies," I want you to think about it this way: The word 'love' in this instance intrinsically means "a commitment to chase (or seek) the absolute highest good in another being." So, what's the highest good for any given person? The highest good for those who are wrong is that their hearts come to know Jesus and for them to become genuinely right.
The intent is NOT for our enemies to receive tangible blessings (more power, more money, more publicity) but to pray for that persons highest potential, their highest good.
Obviously, there must be some need that's been unmet in their lives or they wouldn't cause us so much turmoil and hurt.
So, let us pray for our enemies to allow Jesus to start healing what is broken - both in us AND in them.
You will NEVER know the immense blessings you receive from praying for your enemies until you actually do it! When we look at our enemies and, instead of seeing all the faults and wrong-doings, see the need, God begins to change our own hearts. He molds our hearts to be more like Him - who wouldn't want to be like Jesus (he's perfect)! I have witnessed both ends of this point. I've prayed and seen change in my enemies but I've also prayed and seen change in myself. When you pray and you don't see change in your enemies but you see change in yourself... you feel a renewal of yourself. It's incredible.
A dear friend of mine has always said, "It's impossible to pray for someone consistently without developing compassion for that person." I couldn't agree more. Through prayer, Jesus softens the hardened pieces of our hearts - all the crap (hatred, bitterness, un-forgiveness and hurt) is obliterated and beauty replaces all those ugly spots. Praying, even when we don't "feel like it", for others allows us to be controlled by His Spirit, not by our enemies.
I have, many times, found myself in the past refusing to pray for my enemies... that mentality led me down a dark and dreary road. It didn't "show them" anything - it gave them illegitimate power over me. Only after I gave up hating them did I realize what I had actually been doing - giving my enemy the upper hand. That's not cool!
Going out of our way to pray for those who have wronged us may seem like a tall order... and it is. Just remember that He never asks things of us without supplying the strength to do it.
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